Abbe, Eagles kept the faith on final drive

He might sound brash or cocky, but Abilene High quarterback Evin Abbe had no doubt the Abilene High Eagles were going to pull this one out.

After watching Cooper drive 56 yards on 10 plays to take a 27-24 lead with 2:17 left in the game, Abbe and the No. 4 Eagles kept the faith.

That faith was rewarded with Marcell Porter catching a 7-yard touchdown catch with three seconds remaining to lift the Eagles to a 31-27 victory over the Cougars on Friday night at Shotwell Stadium.

Porter's catch capped a 12-play, 72-yard drive to keep the Eagles unbeaten at 6-0 overall and 4-0 in District 2-5A.

"We always know that we have a team that can make a comeback any time," said Abbe, who began the drive with 2:15 left. "We have players who can step up whenever we need them to. Nobody on our team today thought in the back of their mind that we might lose this game.

"People might say we're just saying that because we came out on top today, but that's what I love about my team. We have a group of winners who never give up. We took what they gave us, and we moved the ball down the field."

It was a heartbreaking moment for Cooper (4-2, 2-2) and quarterback Lorenzo Joe. The junior had just engineered a touchdown drive that appeared to sew the game for the Coogs. But they left too much time on the clock for the Eagles.

"I was like, 'Man, we worked so hard," Joe said. "We scored on that last drive. Defense had been working hard all game. It just slipped through (a defender's) hands, and they got the touchdown and left three seconds. There's not much you can do with three seconds. But it was a good game all around. Both teams played well. It was just a great game."

On a night when AHS' Keevan Lucas broke his own record for receptions (16 for 144 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown catch), Porter played a key role in the second half. After running for just 18 yards on six carries in the first half, the senior ran for 88 yards on 15 carries in the second half — including a 3-yard touchdown run to give the Eagles a 21-13 lead with 8:30 left in the third quarter.

"He gets a little frustrated when he doesn't bust big runs," Abbe said. "He's that kind of guy. He's a dynamic player. I tell him every play we run the ball, 'It's going to come, baby. It's going to come.' He just kept being patient and started hitting the hole, and it opened up for him."

Then, of course, there was the catch on the third-and-4 play. Abbe's pass sailed through the outstretched hands of a Cooper defender, and into Porter's hands.

"I just felt the pressure and wanted to make a play for my team in desperate measures," Porter said. "It was a tipped pass, and I held on for dear life."